TheClimatePolicy,RenewableEnergy,&SustainabilityBlog

Category: Ocean/Wave Energy

Almost three years ago, I reported that the White House Council on Environmental Quality had issued the Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force. Since that time, the Nation Ocean Council, formed by President Obama in Executive Order 13547, has been working diligently to prepare an agency roadmap to put the new National Ocean Policy into action. On … Continue Reading

On August 22, 2012, the U.S. Army Engineering & Support Center in Huntsville, AL held a pre-proposal conference to discuss the final multi-award task order contract that was issued on August 7, 2012 (the “Final RFP” or “MATOC”). My colleague, Lane Tucker, and I attended to hear the Army’s presentations and to engage directly with … Continue Reading

On August 13, 2012, Ocean Power Technologies ("OPT"), received some fantastic news when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC" or "the Commission") issued a first-of-its-kind, 35-year license to construct and operate a wave energy project off the coast of Oregon to its subsidiary, OPT Reedsport Wave Park, LLC. Stoel Rives attorneys are pleased with the FERC order, having worked with OPT to negotiate and … Continue Reading

Today, at the HydroVision International conference in Louisville, Kentucky, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ("BOEM") and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") announced the publication of revised guidelines for potential marine and hydrokinetic ("MHK") developers interested in pursuing technology testing and commercial project development on the outer continental shelf (the "OCS"). The revised guidelines, organized … Continue Reading

A surprise to no one involved in renewable energy, the DOE (via NREL) has just issued a report concluding 1603 created tens of thousands of new jobs. See the report at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy12osti/52739.pdf … Continue Reading

Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber announced today that he has named Margi Hoffman to serve as his Energy Policy Advisor. She will join the Governor’s office on April 2. Ms. Hoffman has served as Senior Vice President and Director of Oregon Operations with Strategies360, a strategic consulting firm, and has also worked closely with Renewable Northwest Project (RNP) … Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) recently released two new nationwide resource assessments for wave and tidal energy projects in the U.S. The reports, funded by the DOE and prepared by the Electric Power Research Institute ("EPRI") and the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, present the most rigorous and comprehensive analysis to date on the magnitude of the … Continue Reading

Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") issued its first pilot project license for a tidal energy project to Verdant Power, LLC for its Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy ("RITE") Project in New York’s East River (pictured at right). As a first-of-its-kind license, this is a significant step for the burgeoning tidal energy industry in the United … Continue Reading

Some very noteworthy things have happened this month in the world(s) of small hydro and hydrokinetics in the United States. Here’s a quick summary: 1. U.S. Departments of Energy and the Interior Award ~$17 Million for Advanced Hydropower R&D. On September 6, 2011, Secretaries Chu and Salazar announced that the two agencies will provide nearly $17 million … Continue Reading

With the end of 2011 drawing near, many renewable energy developers are seeking to qualify their projects for the Section 1603 cash grant. Developers continue to try to understand the complexities surrounding the grant requirements, especially the determination of when projects are considered to have met the “beginning construction” requirement. On August 24, I’ll moderate a Law Seminars … Continue Reading

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) has filed with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) a Request for Proposals for All Generation Sources (the all-source RFP) and a Request for Proposals for Electric and Demand Side Resources (energy-efficiency RFP). PSE filed the draft all source RFP on August 1, 2011 and plans to issue a separate … Continue Reading

Today, Mike Reed, the Water Power Team Lead for the U.S. Department of Energy’s ("DOE") Wind & Water Power Program, announced a new resource to help developers assess the quality of the tidal energy resource along the coast of the United States. Called the "Assessment of Energy Production Potential from Tidal Streams in the United States," the online database was developed … Continue Reading

Having first reported to our readers in February that LexisNexis had nominated the Stoel Rives Renewable + Law Blog for its Top 50 Environmental Law & Climate Change Blogs for 2011 award, we are pleased to announce we made the list of winners! In publishing its Top 50 list, LexisNexis declared that our Renewable + … Continue Reading

On Friday April 29, Stoel Rives partner Cherise Oram will be presenting on "Accelerating the Decision Making Process for MHK Facilities" at the 4th Annual Global Marine Renewable Energy Conference in Washington, D.C. This year’s conference takes place from April 27 – 29. Here’s a brief summary of what to expect: Wednesday April 27 is Industry Development … Continue Reading

The Army Corps of Engineers (the “Corps”) is seeking comments on a new proposed nationwide permit (“NWP”) for offshore wind and hydrokinetic pilot projects. In its February 16, 2011 Proposal to Reissue and Modify Nationwide Permits, the Corps described a new NWP for “Water-Based Renewable Energy Pilot Projects” that could give developers a reprieve from … Continue Reading

There’s good news for offshore wind and hydrokinetic project developers looking to site projects on the Outer Continental Shelf (“OCS”). The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (“BOEMRE” or the “Bureau”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NOPR”) on February 16, 2010 to delete a step in the regulatory process for issuing noncompetitive leases … Continue Reading

In a long-awaited announcement, last week the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities adopted rules to codify the State’s Offshore Wind Economic Development Act. The new rules provide the process for an applicant to submit project information and to propose a pricing method and structure for Offshore Renewable Energy Credits (ORECs) for the Board’s consideration. … Continue Reading

On Monday February 7, 2011, the DOE issued an ambitious plan to spur development of offshore wind facilities in federal and state waters off the eastern seaboard. The report identifies the key challenges to widespread development are reducing both the cost and the timeline of project development. It estimates that the current cost of offshore … Continue Reading

On October 28, 2010, Pacific Gas & Electric ("PG&E") announced that it was suspending development of its Humboldt WaveConnect Pilot Project (FERC Docket No. P-12779) off of the Northern California coast. The company stated that "several major challenges made the project unviable at its current location and configuation." However, "PG&E remains committed to [wave energy] technology." In fact, PG&E will … Continue Reading

In response to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s federal funding opportunity ("FFO") to support Regional Ocean Partnerships ("ROPs"), the West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health ("WCGA") will hold workshops in California, Oregon, and Washington next month to help develop its proposal for a portion of the funding. The WCGA is the ROP for the … Continue Reading

Don’t forget that the deadline for Phase I grant applications under the U.S. Department of Energy’s ("DOE") Small Business Innovation Research ("SBIR") and Small Business Technology Transfer ("STTR") programs is 8:00 p.m. Eastern, November 15, 2010. Qualified small businesses with strong research capabilities in science or engineering in any of the research areas identified in … Continue Reading

In recent months, the State of Maine has sought the spotlight in the offshore renewable energy space. This entry summarizes three major events that have marked the state’s move toward a leadership role. Maine Signs MOU with Nova Scotia On July 12, 2010, Governor John E. Baldacci signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Nova … Continue Reading

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Welcome to the Renewable + Law Blog®, one of the pioneers of law firm renewable energy law reporting. First published in early 2008, Renewable + Law blog is dedicated to tracking all major policy and legal developments impacting the U.S. renewable energy industry. Whether your interest involves solar energy, wind energy, biomass, ocean and hydrokinetic energy, biofuels, waste-to-energy, geothermal, electric energy storage or other clean technologies, we blog about it.

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Stoel Rives LLP is a U.S. law firm, with a full suite of transactional and litigation solutions for U.S. and international clients. Established in 1907, the firm has nearly 400 attorneys operating out of 11 offices in seven states and the District of Columbia. Representative clients include financial institutions, public and private utilities, energy and renewable energy companies, developers, manufacturers, retailers, hospitals, universities, agribusinesses, software companies, food and beverage companies, charitable foundations, telecommunications and forestry companies, among others. We represent businesses at all stages of growth, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.